


Scriven Me Softly

by SensationalSunburst



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Fluff, Gen, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Post-Canon, Tea Cup Destruction, The Palace Staff Loves Zuko, Toph Beifong & Zuko Friendship, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, fire siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:41:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27569218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SensationalSunburst/pseuds/SensationalSunburst
Summary: “It’s a piece of history,” He argued and she was, as always, shocked at the rolling gravel that flowed quietly from his mouth, “We must preserve it.”And Mae, who’d spent hours scrubbing the ghost of bloodied fingerprints from her brushes and days willing the scratch of pen to paper to drown out the sound of the Fire Princess's wailing; had looked at the child clutching ruined parchment to his chest and suddenly understood like a punch to the jaw why Prince Iroh had to be physically restrained from murdering his brother in cold blood.OrThe early days of Firelord Zuko's reign as described by Royal Stenographer Mae.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 273
Kudos: 1350
Collections: A:tla





	1. Mae, The Scrivener

**Author's Note:**

> Scriven: archaic. : to put in writing

Mae had replaced the previous Royal Stenographer on the day of Sozin’s Comet. 

  
It had been an eventful day to say the least. 

  
From the small, mostly hidden cove where the scribes and stenographers usually sat, she’d taken up the abandoned station on the only intact desk in a desperate attempt to document the chaos happening both inside and outside the palace. And while she’d requested to destroy the copy of chickenlizard scratch that her terror had turned her normally pristine calligraphy into, Fire Lord Zuko had refused and instead had it put away as some sort of museum piece. 

  
“It’s a piece of history,” He argued and she was, as always, shocked at the rolling gravel that flowed quietly from his mouth, “We must preserve it.” 

  
And Mae, who’d spent hours scrubbing the ghost of bloodied fingerprints from her brushes and days willing the scratch of pen on paper to drown out the memory of the Fire Princess's wailing; had looked at the _child_ clutching ruined parchment to his chest and suddenly understood like a punch to the jaw why Prince Iroh had to be physically restrained from murdering his brother in cold blood.

  
Fire Lord Zuko seemed to invoke the mama tigerdillo in the entirety of the palace staff and she found herself making an entirely new set of shorthand phrases for things like,   
“You’ve missed breakfast, your Majesty,” and, “Perhaps you could consider retiring for the day, your Majesty,” and “Are you alright, my Lord?” and “Your Uncle has arrived,” and “There is a… flying bison in the courtyard, your Majesty,” and “I swear to Agni above if another one of those crusty old geezers makes another comment on his age, I’m going to lose it. Seriously, I’m at my limit.” 

But Fire Lord Zuko was ending a century of war, implementing a wide range of radical changes and had neither killed nor banished his father and sister. His father, now a nonbender, still had supporters and his sister was still a legitimate heir to the throne despite her admittance to the Fire Nation’s best mental hospital.   
The assassination attempts shouldn’t have surprised them. 

* * *

Mae, whose duties had her occasionally trailing after the Fire Lord from one meeting to the next, was basking in the privilege of being allowed to watch her chronically sleep deprived leige Lord be mother henned by his Uncle when Prince Iroh froze and cast his eyes up to the empty rooftops to their left. It was a beautiful spring day in the Caldera, warm without being too hot with a beautiful, crisp breeze coming in from the coast. The turtleducklings had hatched the week before and their chirping was the only sound filling the sudden silence. 

  
“Uncle?” Fire Lord Zuko said softly.

  
The change in atmosphere pressed heavily against Mae’s shoulders as the Prince turned to her and handed her the delicate teacup he’d been cradling lovingly in his hands. A teacup, she knew, that had been a birthday gift from Princess Azula. 

  
No, not the prince.

The man who carefully handed off a still steaming cup of jasmine tea was _General Iroh_. It was the Dragon of the West that looked at her with eyes of fire and firmly, but wordlessly, pushed Lord Zuko and herself under the shelter of the breezeway. 

  
Mae’s hand were covered in tea in seconds as a fine tremor made her fingertips go numb against the porcelain. Fire Lord Zuko moved backwards in absolute silence, sliding his feet against the stone to muffle the clicking of his formal boots. Even the movement of his robes seemed subdued and Mae scuttled backwards as he backed them both to the wall with a protective arm thrown wide, the wide sleeves of his formal robes nearly blocking her view. Distantly, Mae realized that her position, cowering behind her liege lord’s back instead of standing in front of him, was odd; but the absolute stillness that had overcome the Fire Lord and the General had her heart hammering so hard in her chest that she could hardly hear her own panicked thoughts. 

  
Their deepened breathing was in sync, not that they noticed considering the intensity with which they seemed to be waiting, or perhaps listening. But she even a nonbender would recognize the rising temperature as they brought their inner fires up to simmer just beneath their skin.

  
Fire Lord Zuko’s hands twitched up as if he were reaching for something behind his back just as four masked figures dropped from the sky. 

  
The fire was instantaneous and blinding. Mae felt a hand on her shoulder pushing her against the wall before the Fire Lord lunged forward, dissipating the flames with a broad sweep of his arms, and leapt away. Flashes of green in her peripheral vision alerted her to the Kyoshi warriors materializing on the scene, but they were all moving so fast that it was impossible for her to track. The fighting took them out into the courtyard, just far enough away from Mae to see a fifth attacker slip out from behind a pillar to her right and dart at the Fire Lord, her _seventeen year old_ Fire Lord’s back. 

  
The teacup shattered against the back of the assassin’s head, echoing her wordless screech. He stumbled to a knee, but was up in a breath, spinning with fire engulfing his hands. 

  
But so did the Fire Lord, the Dragon of the West and the full force of the Kyoshi Warriors. 

  
It was over between one blink and the next. 

  
“-ady?” 

  
Mae blinked and Prince Iroh was in front of her, one fire-warmed hand on her shoulder, smiling gently. “Well aimed, my Lady.” 

  
Behind him, Fire Lord Zuko’s face was drawn and pale. His topknot had fallen out, but she could see the crown tangled in his obsidian hair slowly sliding down the side of his head. The Kyoshi warriors were swiftly carrying away the… the assassins in the background, all of which were limp enough that Mae wasn't sure if they were even still alive.

“Your teacup.” Mae found herself saying, bending robotically into a bow, “My deepest apologies, Prince Iroh, I broke your teacup.” 

  
“Oh, my dear.” Prince Iroh smiled, “It’s only teacup.” 

  
She didn’t know what her expression looked like when she straightened, but it was apparently awful enough for the Fire Lord to step forward, grimacing as he fumbled to save his crown from completely sliding out of his hair. “Uncle, why don’t you and Lady Mae go start a pot of tea. I will join you later.” 

  
Taking Prince Iroh’s offered arm was instinct rather than an conscious decision and as he folded her other hand atop of his arm, she was surprised at the heat pouring off the surprising mass of muscle. Like a heat pack on a cold night, Mae found herself relax into it, the fog at the corners of her vision receding as they wove their way deep into the palace.

  
“Seventeen years it has taken me to convince my nephew of the power of a pot of tea. Perhaps there hope for teaching him to properly play Pai Sho.” 

  
“Agni willing,” Mae said, trying for a smile, “Only time will tell.” 


	2. Azula Gets Murder For Her Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Azula thwarted an attempt on Fire Lord Zuko’s life three days after her eighteenth birthday on her first day in court in four years. 

Princess Azula thwarted an attempt on Fire Lord Zuko’s life three days after her eighteenth birthday on her first day in court in four years. 

Mae’s new desk was positioned on the right side of the throne room, the most forward facing of the half circle of scribe’s desk that reflected her position of Royal Stenographer. It was her favorite part of the day, when the Fire Lord held court to hear the petitions and reports of average citizens and less urgent committees and the wide beam of Agni’s light from the newly installed windows warmed the smooth wood of her desk and her spirit. 

Princess Azula’s attendance had caused quite the stir that morning, but she had done nothing of note besides make the occasional dry remarks to her uncle, who sat happily beside her with a seemingly unending pot of ridiculously fragrant jasmine tea. The Princess was cradling a teacup of her own despite the scoff she made every time her uncle refilled it. Their soft conversation was just loud enough for Mae to hear, so she was duty bound to record it. 

Her Imperial Highness Princess Azula (HIHPA): I could make better cups in my sleep, Uncle. 

His Imperial Highness Prince Iroh (HIHPI): What a wonderful idea, my niece, you are so good with sculpting.

Fire Lord Zuko: Please bring whoever’s next. 

PI: Princess Azula?

Mae looked up, cursing her inconsistent tagging as Princess Azula stood and made her way on soundless feet to stand just behind her brother. Firelord Zuko glanced away from the man shuffling into the throne room to smile at her, briefly placing his hand over hers where she gripped the throne. She lifted an eyebrow at him in response and hissed something too low for Mae to hear (and record, dammit) to bring her brother’s attention forward. 

The corner of his mouth twitched, an expression that typically meant he was fighting a scowl, but he rolled his shoulder’s back and the expression evaporated from his face. 

Mae felt herself frowning in response to the new tension in the Fire Lord’s shoulders and forced her expression neutral as the Earth Kingdom man brought his wandering gaze her way. She heard her assistant scratching complainant's words into their parchment and mindlessly followed suit, but kept her eyes on the Princess who had moved to stand by the side of the throne.

Earth Kingdom Citizen 1: Your Majesty, I am here in regards to my village. 

FLZ: Of course- 

EKC1: It was mostly destroyed, seven years ago- 

The sun against her skin, so warming just moments before, went cold and Mae snapped her gaze up as a horrifyingly familiar feeling wrapped itself around the room. 

Stillness- a moment of preparation before an action. 

The moment of deafening silence after a lightning strike. 

The man kept talking, tone poisonous, but Mae couldn’t get her fingers to move. 

“-on the Fire Lord’s orders.” 

Several things happened at once. 

Princess Azula clawed her fingers in her brother’s robes and threw him to the floor seconds before a knife thudded into the back of the throne. A shocked cry ripped from Mae’s throat as General Iroh leapt to his feet, shattering his tea set as he upended to the low table he sat behind. 

The assassin had just claimed his feet when he was engulfed in brilliant azure flames. The heat sucked the oxygen from the air and the room at large flinched backwards as screams and shouts of alarm echoed under the thunderous sound of the Princess's flames. Behind her, Mae’s assistants scrambled to save their parchments and fled for the door behind them, desperate to save the records stored in the archives hidden there. Even the guards had thrown themselves to the corners of the room, bending the heat away and out of the wide windows. General Iroh swept his arms out, smothering the flames and clearing the way for the room to be flooded by guards.

“Azula!” 

Princess Azula was snarling in front of her brother, who, unlike the shell on the floor that had once been a man, had stood up and was pulling his sister away from the scene with a hand on her shoulder. 

“Are you alright? Azula, are you okay?” 

“Of course, Dum-Dum, although you almost got skewered. You’d think you’d have learned to dodge by now.” The Princess’s expression was caustic, but she was still standing in front of her brother, feet spread wide and shoulders back, resisting his attempts to pull her behind him. She’d doused the flames on her hands, but the fire was clearly simmering just under her skin, hot enough to shimmer the air around her. 

General Iroh, who'd moved to inspect the body, looked up at his niece with something like respect. “Your reflexes are excellent, my niece.” 

“Obviously,” Azula snapped. Mae noted that she hadn’t shoved her brother’s hand off her shoulder as he finally turned them both away from the body, trusting that his Uncle and the Kyoshi warriors would clear the room. 

Fire Lord Zuko bent his head and spoke softly, his gaze flicking up over Azula’s tense shoulder to meet Mae’s eyes before flicking away. He knew that she was duty bound to record the events that occurred within the room, which is why she figured he spoke just loud enough for her to hear when he spoke next. 

“Thank you for saving me, Lala.” 

“Like I would let you get assassinated on my _birthday_ , Zuzu. You haven’t even given me my present yet. It had better be good, considering.” 

“I may need to order more tarts then, considering.” 


	3. Dragons and Dango

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow.  
> Thank you all so so so so much for your comments and kudos and general support!  
> It means so much and it came right when I needed it the most!

There was a dragon in the state room. 

A _dragon_ , in the state room, in the middle of an extraordinarily important trade meeting with Earth Kingdom officials, sniffing about her highly flammable parchment and attempting to steal the dango right off her desk. 

Mae, Royal Stenographer to Firelord Zuko, was not going to lose her snack to a scaled fire ferret. 

“Druk, _no_.” For the fifth time in as many minutes, Mae moved her plate to the other side of her desk and scooped up the Firelord’s dragon by its wiggly, campfire warm belly and placed it back on the floor. 

He cleanly leapt back to her desk and curved his ruby red body under her hand, making a sound that was suspiciously close to a purr. A quick glance revealed that none of the Earth Kingdom officials had noticed her distraction, unlike her assistant who she could hear desperately attempting to muffle his snickers behind her. 

The only things she’d been able to record were scribbles of backhanded compliments and while her memory was sharp, it was still distressing to think she could have missed something in the minutes she’d been trying to contain _an actual dragon_. 

On time to the second, a small group of servers arrived with refreshments and large pitchers of ice water. Everyone at the table seemed to wilt in relief as the water was distributed; something desperately needed on such a sweltering summer day. The wide windows on either end of the room made the heat bearable with a cross breeze, but it was still hot enough for the Firelord to be wearing his lightest robes, his hair braided up and off his neck in what Mae was pretty sure was a water tribe style. 

“Why are you like this?” Mae sighed, watching dispassionately as Druk slunk his snout out from the coil he’d formed under her hand to slowly, slowly edge one of her dango off her plate and across her parchment. 

“You’re not a firebender.” Princess Azula drawled. 

Mae’s finger’s twitched to write down the sentence. She picked Druk up again, steadfastly ignoring his transformation into a sad, wet noodle but froze when she realized that for the first time, Princess Azula was speaking directly to her. 

“Your Highness?” Mae asked. 

Princess Azula had turned from the low desk she usually sat by with her Uncle to lift a single eyebrow at her, and gestured with the hand not holding a fresh glass of ice water at Druk as he wound his body around Mae’s arm like a deceptively heavy, and _hot_ , bangle. 

“You’re cool,” the Princess said, an exasperated edge to her voice. 

“Thank you, your Highness.” 

“Agni above,” The Princess said, “No. You’re _physically_ cool. Every other Fire Nation citizen in this room is a firebender except for you. He’s using you as a human ice pack.” 

Druk let out a trilling sound, as if in agreement, and uncurled from her arm to scamper over and rub his head against the Princess’s knee. 

Mae, now able to actually use her brush, swiftly scribbled down their conversation along with the portions of the meeting she'd missed, but kept her eyes on the Princess as she visibly softened under the baby dragon’s obvious affection. 

“Like a scaly fire ferret,” Princess Azula said, lips twisted into a halfhearted sneer. 

  * **FLZ:** Minister, you must understand that a 20% tarrif would functionally ban the colonies from the market-
  * **Earth Kingdom Trade Minister Lena:** I was unaware, My Lord, you see- 
  * **HIH Princess Azula:** That's not what you said during the break



The conversation evaporated as every head turned to look at Princess Azula. She calmly poured herself more ice water and stared down the minister without blinking. While Mae had never been in the receiving end of that look, she's heard unlucky generals described as being sized up by a lion vulture. 

The Fire Lord was failing to control the open gratitude in his expression and took a cue from his sister to hide his face behind a long drag of water. 

"I... I assure you-" the minister stuttered. Sweat dripped from his hairline sticking errant strands to his temple, but as Princess Azula straightened, he closed his mouth with an audible, painful sounding click. 

"Lady Mae," Mae didn't jump as the Princess addressed her, despite her shock, "Would be so kind as to read back the transcript of the moments after the servants collected the empty water pitchers prior to lunch?" 

The shift of attention settled like a lead ball in the center of Mae' chest. She'd never enjoyed being the center of attention and the scrutiny that accompanied it; which was why she chose to become a stenographer in the first place. She could write neatly without looking, had a memory like a steel trap, a talent for blending into the background and a habit of getting the shakes when nervous. 

"Yes, your Highness." Mae said. She kept her eyes on her scroll to avoid the heat of the eyes on her. "Minister Gau: The rate just seems high. Minister Lena: Of course is it. Either they haggle it lower and we still profit or they agree and we kick them from the market and still profit. Minister Gau-" 

"Are we to trust one _servant’s_ word over my own?" Minister Lena growled, flushed red and sweating from more than the heat. 

Mae felt her expression twist into something unprofessional and bent forward in a bow, hiding the shaking of her hands under her desk and the long sleeves of her robes. 

"With all due respect, I am bound by duty to record what I hear and by honor to ensure it is the truth." Mae straightened as something hot and scaly wiggled its way between her clenched fists under her desk. 

"Minister Lena," And _oh_ , Firelord Zuko was using his soft, furious voice, the one that made the decorative flames in the sconces lining the room grow white hot, "You'll show respect to the members of my court. Lady Mae is the Head Royal Stenographer to the Dragon Throne. You may issue her an apology before you return to the Earth Kingdom and explain that you attempted to _lie_ to the Fire Nation like a common swindler." 

"Your Majesty!" Lena sputtered, "You-"

"I will not repeat myself." Lord Zuko said. 

Mae looked up as the minister noisily climbed to his feet and stared, flabbergasted, as he offered a nearly perfect bow, "I sincerely apologize for my disrespect." 

She bowed shallowly, breathing deeply to try to keep her heart in her chest. "I accept your apology." 

Lena all but fled, a guard at his heels as he passed by the windows at the front of the room towards the guest wing. 

"I apolo-" Mae began to apologize to the room at large, but the Firelord took back the room's attention as he cleared his throat. 

"Now that the issue is settled, thanks to Lady Mae, I'm sure we can come to a more agreeable rate." On the other side of the table, the team of Fire Nation and colony trade ministers were making no attempts to hide their glee. They openly beamed at her as she settled tingling fingertips back to her brush, nodding in approval. 

With the loss of her attention, Druk returned to Princess Azula, turning her attention away from her brother by throwing himself in her lap.

"Zuzu could use some help," The Princess told the dragon, "Just as we practiced; Code Red Over Green."

Druk chirped and scampered immediately towards the front of the room. A moment later, he jumped onto the far end end of the table and promptly snuffed out the reignited discussion with a dramatic flare of his wings. The pale mane around his head was standing on end, whiskers whipping against the mahogany. The air around his body shimmered as he began to wind his way down the table, puffed out and growling lowly.

Every bit an ancient predator, the dragon stalked along the table, diverting from its clear path towards the Firelord to wrap his body around each of the Earth Kingdom’s water jugs and boiling the water within with a simple brush of scales. The remaining ministers shrank away from the table and the dragon, undoubtedly able to feel the heat rolling off of the first baby dragon seen in a century. Mae understood their fear, of course, they didn’t know what Druk was capable of. 

(They'd heard the rumors of dragon fire of course, and the way that he danced with the Firelord during morning katas under the blessing of Agni's rays. But they'd never seen the dragon get bullied by turtle ducks half his size for a chance to settle in Zuko's lap, or heard the pitiful sound he'd made when he'd gotten stuck in a tree while learning to fly.)

With the sun at Druk’s back, the dragon’s shadow stretched across the Firelord’s face as he approached. Even in shadow Lord's Zuko molten gold eyes seemed to glow, matching the shine of the five pronged crown settled heavily in his topknot. With dragon wings made of shadow spread wide on the wall behind him, the Firelord had never fit his titles so perfectly; heir of the Dragon Throne, Agni’s Chosen Son. 

Druk leapt for his usual perch along the Firelord’s shoulder, but misjudged the width of his landing spot and slammed snout first into the back of the Firelord’s chair with a squawk. 

Lord Zuko made a sound of concern to match and flailed to attempt to catch what he could of his dragon’s tail, leaning forward _just_ enough for the billowing sleeves of his formal robes to catch his teacup and send it crashing to the floor and into a hundred tiny pieces. Princess Azula thunked her head into her desk with a curse foul enough to make Mae’s ears burn and at once the illusion shattered, returning them to nothing more than overpowered, gold-hearted _babies_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so so much for reading!! Feel free to pop a comment below!  
> Stay well and stay awesome!


	4. Out of the Stateroom: Furious Fiery Rainbows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The set of swords that Lord Zuko often trained with were in his hands in one breath and on fire in the next. The fire shot up his arms, engulfing them in a furious rainbow of flame that proceeded to erupt from his feet and rocket him down the breezeway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, thank you so so much for your comments, and kudos and feedback! I seriously, seriously cannot put into words how much it means to me.

“Lady Mae,” Mae’s newest assistant spun from her desk and pointed to a line of shorthand in her notes, “Does Lord Zuko call Prince Iroh ‘Uncle,’ even when he’s not in attendance?” There was a flutter of lighthearted laughter around the sunlit office and Mae smiled, tapping the shorthanded symbol with a fingernail. 

“Oh yes,” Mae said, digging out a transcript from earlier in the day to compare it to, “But that’s a good question. Look here, this was today’s security briefing. He calls him Uncle all the time, it makes it easy to get mixed up yourself.” She pointed further down, to where she’d had to cross out her own tagging when she’d referred to the Prince as ‘Uncle.’ 

“ _-audacity_ to ask me if I’m sure when I’m the one whose been dressing the boy his entire life.” 

There was a flurry of panicked movement as the slow click of heels and the wind-chime tinkle of jeweled hair pins announced Lady Lixia’s entrance into the office. Sashes were subtly tightened, flyaways tamed with swipes of tongue-dampened fingers, and the posture of everyone in the room snapped into portrait perfection as if they had never learned the meaning of the word ‘slouch.’ 

Lady Lixia had been employed by the royal family for at least the past fifty years. Her exact title was ambiguous, but she served as a cross between the palace’s Head of Staff and Royal Valet. She approved of new hires, uniform standards and the Firelord’s robes with the kind of unchallenged authority that came with age and undeniable expertise. The fact that she had survived not only Azulon but Ozai meant that even Prince Iroh was cowed by her infamous side-eye, like a dragon recognizing one of its own. 

Today, all five feet of her imposing attention was focused on Mae as she slowly glided into the room, shadowed by her willowy assistant.

(Her assistant was only appointed by Lord Zuko himself after Lady Lixia had fallen and found herself unable to get up. The young man was dedicated to his craft, but more so to his master.)

Mae stood and bowed just as Lady Lixia reached her and remained bent to give access to her hair and collar for an aggressive, but gentle straightening. Once she was back in order, Lady Lixia patted her cheek and pulled back. 

“Mae, I need two things.” She said, folding her hands into her sleeves. They shook more than they used to and she hid them more often than not under the flowing fabric of her elaborate, traditional robes. 

“First, I need confirmation that during last week’s budgetary meeting for Lord Zuko’s birthday that I _explicitly_ stated that there was to be no embroidery on any of the fabric for his inner robes. It irritates both his nerves and his skin. I know I said it, I am not senile, and yet, I just received an entire set of formal robes covered in not just embroidery, but _beading_!” She spat the word like a curse and her assistant shook his head in echoed disgust. “Secondly, I thought that rat, Minister Lena, was banned from the palace after his shameful stunt last summer.” 

Mae, who’d transcribed _that_ incident herself, rushed to the wall of short term archives and pulled the scroll of the debriefing. She blindly pointed at the newest addition to the office, wordlessly assigning her to find the scroll for Lady Lixia's first request. 

“Yes, my Lady,” Mae rerolled the scroll and replaced it on the wall, resisting the urge to pick at her nails. “He’s banned from the palace. May I ask why you’re asking?”

“I saw him," Lady Lixia huffed, "Just now. Nobody else disrespects mongoose lizard leather as he does. His boots are scratched to high hell and he drags his feet when he walks. He even _ignored_ me when I called out to him. He may have updated his color palette to mismatched black, but he still walks like a drunken sloth.”

A flash of alarm spread across the room. 

Lena, banned from the palace, stalking around in all black? He'd had to have snuck in, and people only snuck into the palace for one reason.

“Please, excuse me!” Mae gasped and, with a bow shallow enough to be disrespectful, kicked off her shoes and ran. 

In the stunned silence that followed, Mae’s newest apprentice crowed in victory and waved a scroll, “Oh, yes! Lady Lixia, you _did_ say no embroidery!” 

Mae had hoped that she’d run into a patrol as she tore through the halls, but the sprawling administrative wing wasn’t as heavily guarded as the rest of the palace. After a minute, she altered her course, cursing her chronic avoidance of cardiovascular exercise, and sprinted towards the training rooms and guard’s offices. 

Minister Lena had the physique of an overripe zucchini and while she doubted he could take on a toddler in honorable combat, he was enough of a snake to go for something a little more covert. That fear, plus the undoubtedly positive I.D. of Lena sneaking about the palace gave her wings. 

Wings that sent her careening blindly around sharp corners with nothing but a breathless chirp of warning to send her colleagues diving out of the way in confusion until she found herself, quite suddenly, flat on her back and surrounded by shards of porcelain. 

“Spirits! Are you alright?” 

“Lady Mae!” 

Prince Iroh and Captain Suki gaped down at her with open concern. It took a moment for Mae to connect the warm wet splotch on her robes with a matching stain across Prince Iroh’s chest and the vibrant green shards shaking loose from her clothes as Captain Suki helped her stand. 

“Where are your shoes, my dear?” Prince Iroh blinked. Mae tapped her fingertip against the throbbing spot on the tip of her tongue, frowning when it came out red before she registered that the Prince had asked her a question.

“Are you alright? Why are you running?” Captain Suki said. The Prince flagged down a passing staff member that Mae vaguely recognized as one of the kitchen prep staff and asked for someone to retrieve her shoes as her brain rebooted to accept that fact that she’d just sprinted at full speed into _Prince Iroh_ and shattered yet another of his teacups. 

“Was that your teacup, your Highness? I’m so sorry!” Mae snapped upright from the deep bow she’d dropped into out of habit, startling them both, “Lena is in the palace!” 

“What?” 

“Lady Lixia spotted Minister Lena in the palace, but he’s in disguise. Except for his boots, she recognized his boots! Captain Suki, I know it sounds outlandish but I stake my honor on her word.” Mae pressed a hand to her chest, still struggling to regain her breath, fully aware of how absolutely unprofessional she appeared. She could feel the last of her updo falling into her face and as the adrenaline began to fade, she was pretty sure that her foot was bleeding. 

“I need to go,” Captain Suki said. She squeezed Mae’s hands softly, even as her eyes and voice hardened as she shifted fully into her role, “Thank you, Lady Mae, I believe you. We’ll find him.” 

She was gone in a flash of gold and emerald, leaving Mae to awkwardly attempt to comb her hair into something like a professional updo only to realize she’d lost her hair comb. Prince Iroh looked with bemusement to the circle of shards surrounding them both and heaved a sigh. 

“Lady Mae, I’m beginning to think you dislike my tea sets.” He laughed, good-natured and warm like a campfire. 

“I’m not usually so clumsy, your Highness.” 

“Fear not,” Prince Iroh said, “Teacups are easily replaced. I will go find a broom to free you from your accidental prison. Don’t move.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Mae bowed, only half-joking. 

Prince Iroh chuckled then bustled off, leaving Mae standing in the breezeway alone. She lifted her foot to inspect the damage and grimaced. She must have stubbed a toe somewhere on the run over, but the shard of teacup she pulled from her heel was likely the source of the issue. And the blood.

“Agni dammit.” She had nothing to bind the wound with and so she tried to awkwardly stand on one foot while pressing the hem of her robes to the cut, hissing. The cleaning staff had said getting blood out of the smooth stone was difficult,and between the blood dripping onto the floor and the tea, she’d already caused them enough extra work. 

“How unsightly.” 

Mae’s stomach swopped low as she recognized the audible sneer of former trade minister Lena. 

Lady Lixia's assessment was, as always, spot on. He was dressed head to toe in a mismatched black suit that was clearly built for a shorter man. His scratched mongoose lizard boots were a bright spot with their gaudy golden laces, besides, she noticed with a jolt, the long knife he held loosely in one hand. He was lounging against a pillar just an arm’s length away, arms crossed over his chest.

The palace staff had received training for moments like this. Run, they’d been told, scream to attract attention, use your surroundings to facilitate your escape. Mae could hear Captain Suki's clear instructions ringing in her mind, but her mouth overruled the week of lectures and demonstrations to blurt, "How did you even get in here?" 

"You mean you peasants haven't memorized all of your secret passages?" Lena kicked off the pillar unsteadily, but the flash of his knife in the morning sun threw Mae into action. 

She started with a scream loud enough to startle them both. 

Lena flinched backward and Mae stooped low, snatched up a handful of porcelain shards, and hurled them in the general direction of his face. He cried out, but Mae had already turned her back and leapt forward, hoping to clear any pieces of broken pottery left on the ground behind her. 

Except, as she jumped from a total standstill, her feet caught on the edge of her robes and she crashed to the floor on a painful cluster of panicked flailing and tangled fabric.

She'd knocked the wind right out of her lungs, but when Lord Zuko and Captain Suki rounded the corner from the training rooms, she brought in enough air into her to wheeze out a mangled, formless, shout of warning. 

The look of surprise evaporated from Lord Zuko’s face as his eyes darted from her to Lena and back again. 

Then, he burst into flames.

("I'd just briefed him on the situation," Suki told her later, over drinks, "We'd already found the leak and were sealing off the tunnel when we turned the corner and… well.") 

_Well._

Well- meant that immediately after being told that there was a hostile in the palace he’d found Mae, prone on the ground, gasping, one bloody hand outstretched in visible pain and Lena, dressed as an assassin, holding a knife, snarling above her. 

(Trying to wipe tiny pieces of broken pottery out his eyes.)

The set of swords that Lord Zuko often trained with were in his hands in one breath and on fire in the next. The fire shot up his arms, engulfing them in a furious rainbow of flame that proceeded to erupt from his _feet_ and rocket him down the breezeway. He ricocheted off a pillar, the wall, and another pillar, leaving behind scorching footprints before sailing overhead, trailing multicolored sparks like a firework.

Lena didn't have time to make a sound. 

Captain Suki slid to her heavily armored knees beside Mae and flipped her over, pressing clinical hands against her in search of injury. 

"I'm okay, I cut my heel. Oh, my hand too, look at that. Mostly my heel. I tripped trying to run- I stepped o-" 

"Lady Mae, I'm back!" Prince Iroh happily stepped around the corner, a small broom and dustpan in his hands, trailed by a flustered maid. "Apologies, it took a littl-" 

The change in his face was so like the one witnessed in his nephew that the rumors regarding Lord Zuko’s lineage seemed suddenly indisputable.

"What happened?" General Iroh snapped, brandishing his broom. He turned a critical eye over the scene; taking in Lena, who Mae could see nothing of besides his awful boots poking out from behind a pillar and his still smoldering nephew, who was suddenly crouched above her. 

"Minister Lena exploited a previously unknown servant's passage to break into the palace, he attacked Lady Mae and was… subdued by Zuko. Uh, the Firelord." The captain corrected herself with a shake of her head and her explanation seemed to settle the General once he realized that Mae was not, in fact, actively dying. 

"He didn't get to attack,” Mae said, “I tripped on my own." 

"You're bleeding," Lord Zuko snapped. Mae recognized the tone as the same he’d adopted when startled, or scared, like when his uncle’s teashop had been targeted or when someone approached on his scarred side. He was the Fire Lord, yes, but crouched next to her, trembling in his casual robes he looked _exactly_ like the teenager he was. Her chest ached as the affection she felt for him dug its talons even deeper in her heart. The Fire Nation couldn’t fathom how lucky they were to have him.

"I stepped on a shard of a teacup. I'm alright, my Lord, thanks to your quick reflexes.” She said gently. He didn’t look reassured, but Prince Iroh had relaxed enough to allow the maid at his heels to sweep up the teacup remains with her reclaimed supplies. “To be clear, for my report, did you shoot fire from your _feet_?"

Lord Zuko groaned and sat back in his heels, rubbing trembling hands over his face, "Yes. Urgh, Azula isn't going to let me live this down." 

The sharp, but slow clack of heels down the hallway had every back popping into an approximation of perfect posture as Lady Lixia ambled around the corner. She paused, pale eyes widening, and Mae fought to keep her hands out of the mess of her hair as she felt Lady Lixia's eyes scrape across her person. 

“Lady Mae, are you well?” 

“Yes, Lady Lixia. We’ve um… Hm. We’ve solved the issue of former minister Lena, you see.” Mae said. Lady Lixia nodded, just once, visibly dismissing the incident.

“Lord Zuko," she intoned, and the Firelord leapt gracefully to his feet and padded over to her, bowing shallowly. He remained tilted at the waist as Lady Lixia gathered his hair, shaken loose from his training ponytail, back into a flawless topknot with a golden ribbon manifested from somewhere on her person and straightened the collar of his robes. She patted his cheek gently when she finished and he rose back up to his full height obediently, a picture of royal poise. "Lady Mae has been most helpful in settling our earlier issue. I _explicitly_ stated that there was to be no embroidery or extraneous details on your inner robes, as I knew I did. The new set will be delivered this afternoon so be sure to stop by around three for a final fitting." 

"Thank you, Lady Lixia." Lord Zuko said, "I will."

“Prince Iroh,” Lady Lixia said and the Prince swapped places with his nephew, bowing as Lady Lixia tutted at his beard and the hem of his robes. “Your beard is a travesty. Ensure that you visit Iza before the Earth Kingdom delegates arrive on Lord Zuko’s birthday.” 

Prince Iroh chuckled and ran his fingers through his beard, “I shall do so, my Lady.” 

Several guards dragged a moaning Lena off as another Kyoshi warrior all but bounced over to join them to start wrapping Mae’s foot. “Hiya Zuko! Got another one, huh?” 

Ty Lee, Mae’s mind supplied, the most unique of the warriors beside their captain. It was said she used to be an acrobat and was a childhood friend of both the Princess and Lord Zuko. 

Lady Lixia cleared her throat and Ty Lee looked up with a beaming smile, “I mean, Lord Zuko?” 

Lady Lixia turned away, shaking her head. “Youths!” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by an incident where my father (a detective) came home what must have been seconds after I tripped, knocked the wind out of myself and bit through my lip, so there was just blood all over the floor and me and I was just moaning and crying on the ground.  
> He was... alarmed. 
> 
> As always, thank you so so much for reading!  
> I hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to leave a comment below!


	5. All's Fair in Love & Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When an overstressed and underfed Firelord Zuko turns down his favorite dish, the palace staff calls for backup.

In the two months since Prince Iroh returned to Ba Sing Se, Firelord Zuko had fallen asleep in meetings twice and four times during his midday meal in the gardens. The bags under the Firelord’s good eye cast a shadow deep enough to hide the piles of questionable scrolls he produced (and was found sleeping on) during his late-night work binges. 

The palace staff reached their breaking point on an unseasonably cold and rainy afternoon. Lord Zuko had held court that morning but had remained in the stateroom working silently as steady sheets of rain beat against the palace rooftop. Mae had quietly recorded his refusal of breakfast but as the head chef himself brought in a covered bowl of- judging by the smell- spicy peanut noodles, she lifted her eyes to watch. 

"Your Majesty," Chef announced himself with a bow too shallow to be truly respectful and set the bowl down beside him, chopsticks neatly stacked on top. 

Lord Zuko only looked up when Chef rattled the tea set he'd brought with him, preying on old instincts to garner the Fire Lord's scattered attention. 

"Chef?" He said, almost confused. Mae's stomach plummeted to her feet at his stuttered response and the way he went visibly green around the gills at the smell of what his Uncle had claimed was his favorite food. "Oh, I-" 

"My Lord," Chef said, "You skipped breakfast. I can prepare something else if you wish, but you must eat _something_." 

Lord Zuko was much too gentle to buck against the lack of respect in Chef's tone and the rest of the staff and guards were far too concerned to point it out. 

"Oh, I- Yes, I suppose I did. Thank you." He nodded and dragged the dish closer with his fingertips. Chef, seemingly satisfied, stepped away from the table. Lord Zuko made no remove the dish's cover, however. He simply tapped the gilded edge of the bowl with his fingertip before moving back to his parchment. 

Chef didn’t leave. He stood and waited, watching as the Firelord quickly lost himself in piles of parchment with the look of a man realizing that he had a Problem. 

“Lunch, my Lord.” Chef stepped forward and removed the cover from the noodles without ceremony, pushing it directly in front of him while sliding his parchment out of the way at the same time. 

Then, he set his trap.

“If it’s not to your liking, I’ll simply throw the dish away and prepare you something else.” 

The statement hit the Firelord like a physical blow and his hands were clawed around the bowl in a flash. 

The Fire Palace did not waste food. 

“ _No._ ” The Firelord snapped, but Chef was not cowed by the lick of flame that slipped out of his mouth, “No. I’m going to eat it, thank you.” 

"Excellent!" Chef, who'd stepped forward as if he were actually going to take food from the _Firelord_ , smiled brightly and bowed before taking his leave. 

When Chef returned hours later to find the dish half-eaten, chopsticks abandoned and the Firelord gone, he turned to Mae and snarled. 

"That's it! We gotta call Iroh-" 

" _Prince_ Iroh-" said Mae's assistant. 

" _Prince_ Iroh-," Chef corrected, "back to the palace." 

"We can't!" Mae insisted, relieved that the storm drowned their conversation, "We'd be betraying him." 

Even just discussing it felt like treason, even if she agreed. 

"I'll not watch him starve himself instead of delegating to those weasels." Chef said, snatching up the discarded bowl. He tore open the cover again as if confirming that yes, the Firelord had moved the noodles around, eating the chicken and nothing else. He looked furious, but his eyes held the worried grieving of a father at the end of his rope. "He'll work himself to ashes and then where will be? Eh? Back to square one?" 

"I've an idea." 

The three snapped their heads up to find Captain Suki leaning against the open doorway, arms crossed with crimson lips pulled into a smirk. It was an expression that Mae had seen on many a plotting sibling and so she put a hand over her assistant's trembling fingers, wordlessly reassuring her that they weren't in trouble. 

"We can't send for Uncle," Captain Suki said, "But I can send for the next best thing." 

* * *

In winter the Fire Palace's grand doors stood closed and her curtains pinned open, hoping to trap sunlight and warmth within her cavernous rooms. It drew a blanket over the palace, quieting the halls and the staff in a way that was peaceful as opposed to stifling. Mae and her staff worked under kotatsu tables gifted from Prince Iroh with blankets that matched Druk's scales in both color and warmth. Combined with their near-constant supply of the Earth Kingdom's finest teas, they were lulled into a nearly meditative state with the rain pitter-pattering against the rooftop. 

Which was why when the doors to the Firelord's preferred stateroom were violently blown open three days later, the entire room jumped. 

Mae nearly knocked her entire desk over as the doors bounced against the wooden blocks embedded into the walls, sending her teacup three feet high before it crashed to the floor in countless shards of crimson confetti. 

The Kyoshi warriors guarding the room were the only ones unmoved, although if they were frozen in shock or simply unconcerned, Mae couldn't tell. Her assistant, Yara, was cowering behind her, tugging desperately at her robes to pull her down, but a soft hand on the girl's head prompted her to poke her head up and around Mae's waist to peer in rapidly growing confusion at the intruder. 

"Sparky, you look like shit!" 

Toph BeiFong was an earthquake of a seventeen-year-old. She traveled solo despite her nobility, brawled despite her blindness, and seemingly feared nothing from Agni above or the earth below. Which made sense, Mae figured, as she was beyond doubt the greatest earthbender the world had ever known. 

Presently, the world's greatest earthbender had seen fit to startle the Firelord so badly that most of his body was wrapped in white-hot flames until his sleep-starved mind connected the rumbling of the tiled floors to the smirking child before him. 

"Are you _crazy_ ? I could have killed you!" He roared but Master BeiFong _laughed_ , delighted in the face of his anger. 

"Lady Mae!" Yara gasped, squeezing the air from Mae's lungs, "Shall we flee? Why do they do nothing? What is happening?" 

"Fear not," Mae said, letting the girl tuck herself under the flowing sleeves of her robes, "That's Master BeiFong, she is a friend of Lord Zuko. " 

Lord Zuko stood and rounded the table, his flames snuffed out. As soon as he was in range, Master BeiFong pounced, wrapping her arms around Lord Zuko's waist to lift him straight off his feet and into an impressive spin. Mae subtly pointed to the smile splitting his face and patted Yara's shoulder reassuringly. Lord Zuko bent low to return her fierce hug as his most recent growth spurt had made him sprout up like a weed, visibly melting as Master BeiFong’s hands twisted in the fabric of his robes.

“When did you get here?” Lord Zuko said, pulling away from the embrace with a delightfully red face. He seemed to have remembered his audience, judging from the glance he sent to Mae and the Kyoshi warriors.

“Just now,” Toph said, "I journeyed across land and sea to rescue you from your boring office!" 

Lord Zuko finally seemed to notice the lazy smiles on the Kyoshi warriors in the room's corners and narrowed his eyes. “Suki sent for you?” 

“Can’t I visit my favorite heat rock?” She asked, playing at offense as she wrapped her arms around one of his like a large barnacle, "I went through all the trouble of writing you and you didn't even reply." She tugged on his arm in a move Mae recognized from little sisters everywhere and watched with a fondness that made her chest ache as the Firelord’s topknot gave up the ghost, sending his hair and his crown tumbling. He managed to catch the crown, but whatever argument he’d been about to provide disappeared as Toph complained that she was hungry. 

“Toph,” He said, dragging his free down his face, “I have meetings. Work.” His fingers caught on at the bruises under his eyes, putting his exhaustion on further display. 

“Your Majesty,” Mae said, lifting her arm to free her apprentice, “You have no meetings today.” 

“It’s Tuesday,” Lord Zuko said, referring to his standing finance and agriculture briefings. 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mae confirmed with a short bow. She tried and failed to contain her smile, “The meetings were moved to accommodate our honored guest on the Princess’s order.” 

(“Easier than the options I was considering,” the Princess had said after Captain Suki proposed the plan. Neither Captain Suki nor Mae asked what the 'options' had been.) 

“ _Azula_ signed off-?” Lord Zuko trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose, his face twisted with bemusement, “Sure. Alright. Okay. Let’s go, Toph. You can at least give me some updates.” 

* * *

The next three days were blissful, as Mae’s meeting free days often were. The rain continued to fall in steady sheets, but it felt cozy instead of cold, especially rumors of the Firelord being spotted giving Master Bei Fong piggyback rides over puddles and, occasionally through the rain itself spread joyfully through the palace. 

Chef confirmed that Lord Zuko's infamous eating habits had improved by delivering an unusually large, unprompted platter of honey cakes to the scribes' offices (well known to be Mae's favorite) and by spoiling the whole of the palace with a large order of plum wine. 

* * *

Mae, who had taken advantage of the rooms available in the palace due to her position, occasionally found herself kept up by the nightmares common to all members of the palace staff. She'd shuffle through the darkened hallways, past keen-eyed guards and sleeping turtleducks to the kitchens for tea and company on those nights, contenting herself to help the night staff prepare for the next day until she was slumped over the counters. 

On the second night of Master BeiFong's visit, she opened the door to the kitchens and moved immediately to pull on an apron, still bleary-eyed with terror and the lingering dredges of sleep. When she turned, however, it was to find two bright-eyed youths frozen over the new crate of precious plum wine, a bottle in each hand and a frazzled, shocked expression shared between them.

Firelord Zuko, First of his Name, Agni's Chosen Son, was dressed in a tight black (oddly familiar) catsuit, his hair free of both topknot and crown. Druk was curled around his shoulders, hanging on with his back legs and tail as his front claws were clutching the neck of a of bottle of wine. The bottle was slowly slipping, providing a screeching background accompaniment to the scene as his claws dug into the glass. At his side, Master BeiFong, Hero of the 100-Year War, slowly, slowly, slowly, edged one bottle back into the crate. 

Mae blinked.

Druk readjusted his grip on the neck of the bottle and drew himself up and into the hood of the Firelord's suit, hiding behind the curtain of Lord Zuko's hair. 

There was a flush, Mae realized, riding high along both Toph and Zuko's cheeks and, as the moment dragged, an unsteady sway in their stillness. But it wasn't until Toph released a string of giggles that the realization exploded like a lightning bolt in Mae's mind. 

"You're _drunk_!" Mae gasped, delighted, and the spell was broken. 

" _Scatter_!" Toph cried and the trio exploded into uncoordinated action, scrambling like startled cats for the service doors. They crashed inelegantly into countertops and shelves, dangerously close to knocking their contents to the ground in their haste. They disappeared with the swiftly fading sounds of clinking glass and breathless laughter out and into the night. 

The silence they left behind echoed pleasantly.

Mae hung up her apron and went back to bed, saluting the smiling guards as she did so, content that, at least for tonight, the palace was much too full of joy for fear to linger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toph is Zuko's little sister, it's just a fact!
> 
> Come visit me at my tumblr, same name as here!


	6. Lord Zuko's No Good, Very Bad Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dull thunk of impact nearly went unnoticed.   
> The swirl of Lord Zuko’s summer robes as he stumbled backward did not. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot express how much everyone's feedback means to me. Thank you so, so much!!!
> 
> A note that these chapters aren't in chronological order! I'm sorry for any confusion.

The Firelord's birthday celebrations took place at the height of summer, regardless the actual date of their birthday. The Fire Sages claimed it ensured that Agni's blessings shone upon the nation's leader for as long as possible, symbolizing the divine connection between them. 

Historically, this meant a weeklong festival centered on the summer solstice, but such extravagant parties were not in alignment with Firelord Zuko's personality or restrained post-war budget. Ultimately, it meant that Lord Zuko’s birthday celebrations were positively demure compared to his predecessor’s. Certain traditions were essentially mandated; but once the speeches were made and the blessings bestowed, Lord Zuko was free to slip back to the palace with his heroic friends to enjoy a few days off, even if it was a few weeks _after_ his actual birthday. 

He held no grand parties but there were _certainly_ revered guests and the staff gossiped in a novel a level of awe when the Avatar himself zipped through the breezeways or was seen sparring with the Firelord, laughing in delight between with brilliant flashes of dragon fire. 

But Agni above, they were so _young_.

The Water Tribe siblings squabbled like pygmy pumas and Master Bei Fong’s temper tantrums made the walls shiver in fear; even the freshly nineteen-year-old Firelord could be goaded into pouncing if Ambassador Sokka pressed hard enough. 

They were war heroes, yes, but in the end, they were young men and women asked to carry burdens that had crushed those who’d come before to ashes.

It was those burdens that had Lord Zuko popping into the stateroom in the aftermath of another tense financial update meeting to sign off on the most recent round of tax increases on the wealthy. It wasn’t a popular policy judging by the raised voices and cutting remarks alone, but it was necessary to drive the Fire Nation's continued efforts to reverse their economic dependency on war. 

Lord Zuko pulled his flowing sleeve out of the way to avoid smearing Mae’s careful handwriting and stamped his approval on the order with a wry smile. 

“We’re late, Zuko! Let’s go, let’s go!” The Avatar bounced on the balls of his feet in the open doorway, backlit by the sun rising over the palace walls. “Toph is going to eat all of the cake!” 

“She won’t-” Master Katara sighed. 

“She will!” Ambassador Sokka and Captain Suki said together. 

“She won’t,” Lord Zuko said quietly, smiling at Mae and her assistant over the top of the order. He liked to review the meetings he missed, searching over transcripts for _something;_ something he always seemed surprised not to see. 

“Sifu Hotman!” The Avatar whined from the doorway, bent backward, arms dangling like limp, petulant noodles.

“Okay, okay, let’s go.” Lord Zuko turned for the door, sighing dramatically despite his indulgent smile.

“Best not keep them waiting, Your Majesty. Cake for breakfast only comes around once a year.” With her day more or less over Mae stood and followed him out, scrolls carefully rolled and tucked under her arm for delivery back to the scribe's office. The Avatar had whooped as soon as Lord Zuko had turned towards them, grabbing Master Katara around the waist to hoist her up and into the air and down the breezeway in a blink. Ambassador Sokka shook his head and trotted after them, shouting into the rapidly warming morning. “That’s not fair!”

Mae and Lord Zuko strolled through the rapidly warming breezeways in comfortable silence, happy to bask in the sunrise and let the thick shafts of sunlight gleaming between the palace’s rounded pillars warm their faces. Soon the sun would fully evaporate the patches of dew still lurking in the waning shadows and the heat of the day would chase all but firebenders into the shade. But for now, the morning was blissfully still, the only sounds (aside from the rapidly fading hoots of their honored guests) the soft taps of feet against the floor and the quacking of turtleducks. 

“Have a good day, Lady Mae.” Lord Zuko smiled as they came to the hallway that branched off to the administrative offices. 

Mae stopped in the shadow of a pillar and bowed, “And you, your Majesty. Happy Birthday, may Agni bless you.” 

The dull thunk of impact nearly went unnoticed. 

The swirl of Lord Zuko’s summer robes as he stumbled backward did not. 

Mae snapped upright, “Lord Zuko?” 

The fletching on the arrow was the same deep crimson as the blood blossoming around the shaft protruding from his chest. He looked utterly bewildered, reaching up to tap his fingertip against the stain, before his expression morphed into something almost disappointed as blood dripped from his finger in as a single, ruby teardrop. 

Someone was screaming. But the sound was warped as if it were echoing from the other side of the palace. Mae’s scream was caught somewhere in her throat, tangling itself up in her teeth before leaking out in a pained, panicked whine that snapped them from the shocked stillness that had descended upon them. 

Mae lunged for Lord Zuko as he dove for her. He pushed and she pulled and they slammed to the ground in the safety of the closest pillar’s shadow. Lord Zuko ended up flat on his back, wheezing, Mae trembling protectively above him. 

The distant screaming grew louder as a second arrow sprang from the pillar behind them. Positioned, Mae realized, to strike the Firelord again had they not moved. 

“Stay down,” He commanded, breathless, “Stay calm. It’s okay.” 

Mae used numb fingers to gather the flowing fabric of her sleeves and put pressure around the arrow. Lord Zuko went paler than parchment but didn’t utter so much as a groan as she pressed down as hard as her shaking hands would allow. Instead, he kicked his heels against the floor, just once, then fell still, the muscles in his jaw jumping as he clenched his teeth together. She could hear her assistant shouting down the hallway, metallic fans swishing through the air and whoosh of powerful bending, but it was easily drowned by the horrific sound of Lord Zuko’s labored breaths hissing through his teeth.

“Don’t cry. Please, it’s alright.” Lord Zuko said faintly, “I’m fine, I swear it is not that bad. Katara.... Katara is here- it probably won’t even scar.” 

Mae blinked and flinched as tears dripped onto the hand he’d settled over her own, leaving a track through the blood smeared along his fingers. She couldn’t feel her fingers, but his hands, like all firebender’s hands, were warm. 

She blinked again and hands were trying to tear her away from Lord Zuko. 

She thrashed, snarling, her heart jumping in her throat, but the ground rose under her as a single slab, knocking her hands loose and sending her sliding back. 

Her assistant was suddenly beside her, catching her before she could tumble backward as the slab skidded to a stop and smacked into the wall behind them. 

Mae leapt to her feet and started forward, but her assistant pulled her back and straight off her feet with both of his arms wrapped around her waist. The sudden halting of her forward momentum shocked her enough to clear the blinders that had narrowed her vision.

Master Katara held a swirling, glowing disk of water over Zuko’s chest. Master Bei Fong bent the piece of the flooring she must moved back into place and shifted, blocking the Firelord from view.

Captain Suki had the crimson fletched arrow in her hand. 

Nausea swelled in her throat and Mae gagged, prompting her assistant to let her go. He set his hands on her back, but she shook him off, already moving. She was deaf to her assistant calling her name, blind to the hands that reached out to catch her as she sprinted back to her office. Moving on instinct to her desk to draw a fresh piece of parchment from the stack. 

She had to record the incident. 

She had to put down the details to paper before they scattered like seafoam to the panic she could feel banging at the edge of her thoughts, but when she brought her eyes to her work she froze. 

There was blood on her brushes. 

The bottom of the world dropped out and Mae tumbled into the dark. 

_There was blood on her brushes and blood on her parchment and it would all stick together but she was the only one left. There were only a few sheets left in the tiny, hidden corner of the throne room and the palace was on fire. It had to be, it was the only explanation, and she was the only scribe left._

_It had been one errand, she’d been gone for an hour and the office was_ gone- _they were all gone- She’d never eat meat again- the smell, they never spoke about the smell, the smell people make when-_

_There was a demon screeching, she’d never heard such an awful sound going on and on and on- She had to hide the records. If someone found them, she had to hide, but there was blood on her brushes (“Clean records start with clean tools, Mae.”) she had to have clean brushes and-_

Fire lilies and jasmine.

Mae fell back into her body in pieces. 

The first thing she was conscious of was the nearly overwhelming scent of fire lilies and jasmine in full bloom; a classic, ancient perfume. Beneath it, she could smell grass wet with dew and fainter still, something like a wet dog.

She could feel an arm curled around her shoulder and silk against her cheek. Cool fingers were moving soothingly through her hair in a regular, rhythmic path, and as the static receded from her ears, she could hear subdued conversation above. 

“Patience, child, she is simply lost to memory.” Lady Lixia said and at once, everything in Mae went loose with relief. If Lady Lixia had arrived then the situation was in hand. 

Then, like a flash of lightning, the puzzle pieces clicked together. She was laying in _Lady Lixia’s_ lap. 

Mae’s eyes snapped open as she gasped into full awareness, horrified at her unprecedented lack of composure. 

"Back with us?" Lady Lixia said. They were outside in the courtyard and someone had brought Lady Lixia a low chair, likely to protect her skirts from the grass and to keep her comfortable. Mae immediately moved to get up, face flushing in mortification and an apology on her lips, but a disapproving scoff and the sharp prick of nails against the back of her head pinned Mae back down. 

“Remain still.” Lady Lixia scolded, voice as commanding as ever despite how gently she was moving her fingers through Mae’s hair. 

"I- My deepest apologies, Lady Lixia. Is-? What-?" Mae stuttered, unable to unstick her traitorous tongue from her teeth. _What is happening? How did I get out here? Where is Lord Zuko?_

The Avatar poked his head up above Lady Lixia’s shoulder and smiled, "Zuko's okay, don't worry. Katara is taking care of him. He asked us to come take care of you.” 

The little monk’s face changed and Mae would swear to Agni his eyes flashed blue as he continued, “We got the man who shot him too, don’t worry.” 

There was a groan then, or something like a groan and a warm, damp gust of air threw Mae’s hair over her face. She squeaked when something licked her foot and drew her legs up to her chest. 

When had she lost her shoes? 

“I said patience!” Lady Lixia snapped and when Mae braved moving the curtain of her hair away it was to the surreal image of Lady Lixia managing to stare down a sky bison, _the Avatar’s sky bison_ , despite being seated and comically outsized. The bison lowered itself to the ground gently enough that the world didn’t shake around them and nudged at Mae’s foot. 

“Appa was just worried,” The Avatar’s ridiculously expressive face dimmed, “You…um, went away and it scared him.” 

Mae had only seen the sky bison from a distance before, back when the Peace Talks were in full swing and the Firelord was traveling to meetings and hosting leaders from across the globe. The Avatar had acted as the world’s fastest transport, swooping into the Palace courtyards at frankly alarming speeds to, on occasion, simply snatch the Firelord from the earth or drop him off just as quickly. 

It was larger than she’d pictured and frighteningly fast, but Lord Zuko was frequently seen covered in sky bison fur on account of his proclivity for throwing his entire person into the mass of fluff on the creature's side and so she (and the rest of the staff) had quickly realized that it wasn’t in fact, going to eat him. 

“I apologize, Avatar Aang.” Mae said. Lady Lixia had allowed her to sit up, so she took the freedom to bow shallowly, “I didn’t intend to alarm you. There are… circumstances, hm, that can, uh, remind me of unpleasant times. There was-” Mae’s throat clogged on the words, her heart pounding at the thought of attempting to explain her fear. She could see bloodied fingerprints in her mind's eyes, feel terrible warmth soaking under her nails again and static started to build in her ears. 

“There is no need to speak further on it now.” Lady Lixia declared. Her voice rang like a meditation bell and the panic was swept away as she gathered Mae’s loose hair between her hands and gently tugged her back. “Your _hair_ , Lady Mae. Sit straight, yes, back a bit.” 

The Avatar settled himself in front of them and rested his chin on his hands to watch as Lady Lixia began to braid Mae’s hair up into a style far too formal for everyday use, pinning it in place with jeweled hairpins from her own style. 

“Zuko and Uncle said to come see them when we’re done here. Toph saved us all some cake.” He said, “Suki and Sokka are sorting some stuff out, but they’ll join later.” 

Mae stood slowly, both expecting her legs to refuse her weight and waiting for Lady Lixia to protest- but when she moved to help the matriarch to her feet, Lady Lixia flapped her a hand in dismissal. 

"No, thank you. I think I shall sit out here for a bit longer. With Appa. When you’re finished with your visit, you’re to return to your quarters to rest." 

“Yes, Lady Lixia.” Mae nodded. 

Lady Lixia settled into something like a seiza, looking like royalty herself with her wine colored robes fanned out on the grass and the bejeweled detailing of her accessories glistening in the sun. Appa rolled over carefully, splayed in the sun like a cat to inchworm himself closer to Lady Lixia's upturned hands. 

Avatar Aang extended his arm for Mae to hold and she took it out of both more respect and need. He was only a hair taller than she was, growing like a weed in the luxury of a post-war world. 

"Thank you." He said, glancing over at her as they made their way towards the Firelord's wing. Mae, who'd been focusing on the Avatar's even, fire bender-like breathing, started. "Zuko is my family," he said seriously, "I worry about him all the time and I wish I could visit more often. It's comforting to know that he has people here that care about him." 

"Avatar Aang," Mae pulled them to a stop in front of the open window of one of Lord Zuko’s offices. She gently untangled their arms so she could properly bow, making her flame as large as her fingers could manage, "You honor me, but I should be the one thanking you. Defeating Ozai allowed Agni to bless us with Firelord Zuko, restoring honor, compassion and… and _kindness_ to the Dragon Throne. The Fire Palace is loyal to Firelord Zuko but we cannot always protect him. Thank you, Avatar Aang, for protecting him when we cannot." 

"I'm gonna… can I hug you?" Avatar Aang bounced on his toes, eyes wet in a way that made him look all of ten years old. She nodded and immediately had an armful of sniffling Avatar. 

"Aang! Put the lady down!" 

Ambassador Sokka spoke like the exasperated older brother he was. Mae only realized that her feet weren't on the ground when the Avatar turned to face him. The water tribesmen's wolf tail had mostly come loose, and when he tilted his head to the side to smile wryly, she found it did little to hide the boomerang holstered on his back.

"Oh! Sokka! You're back!" Avatar Aang set Mae down with a bashful grin before looping his arm through her's to drag them forward and around the open door to their right. Ambassador Sokka was caught just as she was with an arm tucked under his own, smirking down at the Avatar's enthusiasm, stumbling as he tilted awkwardly to the side due to their height difference. 

“Zuko! Uncle! Look who I found!” The Avatar pulled them to a stop just feet inside the room. Lord Zuko was tucked into a sprawling, plush daybed and propped with what appeared to be every throw pillow the palace owned. Although his face was bright red, his eyes were clear and alert, no longer clouded with pain. 

Prince Iroh tucked a handkerchief into his pocket as he stood to greet them. His eyes were rimmed with red but his smile was bright and full of warmth as always. Master Bei Fong and Master Katara were tucked carefully around the Firelord, twin grins on their faces. 

“Lady Mae,” Prince Iroh greeted, stepping forward as the Avatar streaked by him to leap at the group on the bed, “It is a pleasure, as always.” 

"Aang! Be careful!" Master Katara held out a hand as the Avatar crawled across the bed. 

"I trust you're well, Prince Iroh? Lord Zuko, it pleases me to see you're alright." Mae bowed to both the prince and the Firelord. She found herself relieved nearly to the point of tears at the vivid display of health as the Firelord squawked, clearly unused to being physically manhandled as his friends twisted around him to ensure they all fit on the bed.

“I’m fine, Mae. I told you I would be.” He said, using his elbows to poke and shove his way until he was more or less upright. “I’m sorry you had to, uh, experience that though. I know it was… upsetting.” 

‘Upsetting’ wasn’t the word that Mae would use, but Lord Zuko was very obviously attempting to spare her discomfort. He was using the voice he used when trying to invoke his authority, but the combination of his stilted wording and the sprawl of children across his person ruined the effect. 

“I’m honored I was able to help, my Lord.” Mae said.

She bowed lowly to Master Katara next. “Thank you, Master Katara, for your aid. May Agni bless you.” 

“Oh, no.” Master Katara said, “You don’t have to- _Ow!_ Aang!” 

“It’s considered rude to reject a blessing made in thanks.” The Avatar whispered. 

“Ah. Oh, uh, you’re very welcome.” She said. She returned Mae’s bow with a soft smile. 

A cool breeze whispered at Mae's back from the open window behind her, causing the hairpins Lady Lixia had placed in her hair to chime softly. She’d turned to close it out of habit when she realized that it was the same window that she and the Avatar had paused beneath. 

The same, wide-open window with its curtains dancing in the wind leading into the room where the _Firelord_ was currently resting. 

"Oh, you can leave that open, my dear." Prince Iroh called. He handed her a cup of jasmine tea and a slice of cake when she robotically turned towards him. He led her to sit at the low table under the window, settling beside her with a heavy, satisfied sigh. "It's letting in such _sweet_ sounds and fragrances this morning- it’s good for Lord Zuko's constitution." 

Mae drained her teacup to drown her soul’s horrified screaming. 

It would do nothing about the blush of mortification she could feel blooming across her cheeks, but it saved her from having to reply for a moment as she attempted to gather her already scattered thoughts. 

“It is a um, crisp morning. Despite everything.” Mae said, turning to her slice of cake. Prince Iroh poured her more tea, chuckling as another squabble sparked to life on the daybed across the room as Sokka attempted to sneak a bite of Lord Zuko’s cake. 

“Bitter tea makes the cake that much sweeter, does it not?”

“Yes, Prince Iroh, I suppose it does.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a bad habit of sitting on works because they never feel perfect, which is why this took so long to get out.  
> Thank you so much, again, for all of your comments and kudos and lovely, lovely feedback. It means so much!

**Author's Note:**

> You know when you're just sitting on something for a while? This fic has been sitting, waiting to be published for a while and in celebration of the annual writing tradition I'm not actually taking part of, I figured I would put this out there. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Please feel free to pop a comment below.


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